New Zealand Rugby announces landmark partnership with Touch New Zealand

New Zealand Rugby and Touch New Zealand have announced a landmark partnership formally recognising touch rugby as the official non-contact summer form of rugby in New Zealand.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said the agreement would “create one of the largest participation footprints in New Zealand sport” and strengthen a year-round rugby ecosystem.

The partnership opens the door for closer collaboration across participation, community engagement, events, marketing and commercial growth, with the aim of increasing player numbers across all forms of the game.

As part of the agreement, Touch NZ will begin the process of becoming an Associate Member of NZR, giving the organisation voting rights at next year’s annual general meeting.

Appearing on Ryan Bridge TODAY, NZR chief executive Steve Lancaster described the deal as a “no-brainer”, saying it reflected the changing ways people engage with sport.

“It’s a bit of a no-brainer and I think people are probably surprised this hasn’t been the case all along,” Lancaster said.

“We’ve seen an opportunity in recent years that we could be stronger together, work together to promote the game, promote events and get more Kiwis active.

“It definitely increases our footprint and something that’s really attractive to us is that, as people’s lifestyles and perceptions around sport continue to change, touch offers something where all generations can be on the same pitch together.

“It’s played in the summer, it’s a non-contact format, so it really broadens our offering as a code. We think this partnership can be mutually beneficial and help touch further solidify its place as well.”

More than 150,000 people play touch rugby across New Zealand each year, making it one of the country’s most widely played team sports.

Touch NZ chief executive Joe Sprangers told the Mike Hosking Breakfast formalising the relationship was a natural step.

“We’ve been working on this for a number of years,” Sprangers said. “It’s finally reached a point where we’re ready to announce the partnership.

“There are real opportunities around combining numbers, working together and creating economies of scale.

“A lot of people would have assumed touch and rugby were already part of the same system, which hasn’t been the case. Now we’re able to bring that together and present it for what it is.”